K.B. Walker's Blog, page 2

“My Lovely Blog” Hop

Thanks to my friend and fellow author, Christina (https://funnylass.wordpress.com/…/…/12/everything-is-lovely/), and this blog hop thingy, I’m finally getting round to my first Nuts and Crisps post of 2015! All being well I should have a post from another fellow author, Jeff Gardiner, on Wednesday. Looks like I’ve surfaced from deep hibernation at last.

So, the first memory that comes to mind was searching for my beloved grandfather. I was four and had just been told he’d died. I looked under furniture, in cupboards, everywhere for him. That sense of confusion and loss left a hefty imprint. Nowadays parents have some very good books to help young children with bereavement.

Books are one of my passions. In second grade (age 7), I was one of the oldest children in the class, often bored and given to disruptive behaviour. In desperation, my teacher began to give me books with the instruction to go read them and write book reports ~ genius. The first one was about Scott of the Antarctic and I never looked back.

The library was too far away for me to get to as a child, likewise I can’t remember any bookshops, but I was given a children’s classic book collection for Christmas one year and never remember being short of something to read. Both my parents worked and we were encouraged to be as independent as possible. I spent most of my youth outside on my bike, climbing trees, playing team games and that kind of thing but there was plenty of time to read on long car journeys.

When I was a young wife in a remote village, the mobile library was a lifeline. I took my children from infancy to their local library every week and now take my granddaughter. Quality books can be expensive but libraries enable access to an endless supply and the freedom for children to choose the stories they want to hear. Now, apart from the books, films, music and computers on offer, my library also provide a venue for my writers’ group. I guess you can tell I’m a big fan and pretty outraged that these essential places are under threat.

How dull life would be if there weren’t always new things to learn. My current course of study is grandparenting ~ learning to slow down and observe life alongside a toddler, keeping in my daughter-in-law’s good books and how to help grown-up children without interfering.

Writing… hmmm. I’ve written two books, published one myself called A Life Less Lost and had the other, Once Removed, published by the marvellous Crooked Cat team. I’ve won a few local competitions with short stories and I write for my church magazine and my other blog, Biblically Blogging. Currently trying to build enough confidence to work on several ideas for children’s books.

A few Crooked Cats have agreed to follow on from me; Scott Perkins, www.pagestotype.com, who has an exciting new book, Howard Carter Saves the World, coming out this week, Yvonne Marjot, The Knitted Curiosity Cabinet, author of the brilliant Calgary Chessman and the delightful Ailsa Abraham, The Bingergread Cottage, author of Alchemy and Shaman’s Drum. I hope you’ll visit them later in the week, when they offer a tiny peek into their “Lovely Blogs”.

Angst and Laughter

At this time of Good Will to All, extra financial, physical and commercial pressures test the strength of relationships. I offer this short poem to help with the angst ~

Steaming Uphill

You���re wrong, I���m right.

Barbed words snag and slice

Spine stiff, lace boots.

Off out. End of.

Mud sucks in the grey dark.

Sheep bleat between bites of

Storm starved winter grass

New life kicks in woolen bellies.

Slip down slick steps

The stream applauds softly,

And a woodpecker laughs

Moss drips bright. Climb.��

Hands on knees, lungs gasp

From the top of the world

I glimpse my insignificance

And space for both points of view.

And, as a contrast, this equally short poem to make you smile ~

String is King

Here I am reciting these two poems at Holmfirth Library’s Winter Lights event.

Sellotape or string?

Give me string anytime.

��Oh I know Sellotape is easier, quicker, more secure.

But where is the magic, the imagination?

The hoola skirts made from

The frayed bit in your pocket,

When you���re listening but not hearing.

��Knotted string trembles with anticipation in your fingers

Then opens its arms in joyous celebration

Welcoming you inside,

Eager and willing to play again and again.

Whilst stingy Sellotape merely ties you in sticky knots,

Tearing paper in tiny tantrums.

A prima donna refusing a repeat performance.

Would Sellotape deign to hold your shoes together

Or keep your trousers up,

Even in an emergency?

��I think not,

Give me string anytime.

��Season’s greetings to you all and happy reading!

You Learn Something New Every Day…

Today, I learned what an “infographic” is ~ ta-da ->

I’m not surprised by the information it contains, however. What I do find curious is the number of times I’ve been asked to read a manuscript for someone who hasn’t bothered to correct spelling, grammar or punctuation. I can only hope they don’t try to submit their precious work to a publisher or agent in that state.

We authors know that it’s the creativity that really counts. A piece of writing that is technically perfect but dull won’t be published either.

However, a brilliant masterpiece full of glaring errors is unprofessional and shows a lack of consideration for the people ploughing through thousands of manuscripts looking for the next bestseller. They simply won’t read it, if you don’t make it as accurate as possible.

It won’t be enough to rely on computer spell checkers either, sadly. I asked 8 people to read and give feedback on my memoir, A Life Less Lost. They were all well educated, teachers, published authors and a doctor, but I still sent it off to a professional proofreader. It came back with an A4 list of corrections to be made.

If you’re planning to self-publish, this is almost even more important because you won’t have a publisher’s editor going through your final draft. You risk your book looking like some of those cringe-worthy folk who appear totally unprepared on XFactor.

When you’ve spent all that time and ��energy on your creation, you owe it to yourself to send it out into the world looking its best.

This is not an endorsement of Grammarly. A chap called Nikolas Baron emailed and asked if I’d post this. For more information, their link is��grammarly.com/grammarcheck

On Emigration from Britain

Author Miriam Drori offers this post for us today ~

This is where I get to argue, with tongue only partly in cheek, that we Brits have a harder time than others when having to acclimatise to a new country. Me – Brit? Well yes, once a Brit always a Brit. That’s what I say. And that’s what non-Brits say to me. I’m seen as more of a Brit when away from my country of birth then I ever was in it.

Not that they call me “Britit” you understand. “Anglia – English” is what they say. I’ve given up trying to explain that there’s more to Britain than England. The whole concept of several countries in one is apparently too hard for them to internalise. I wonder if the Scots are about to make that easier for them.

This place isn’t mentioned in the novel, but it’s a place Mark will have visited. The Ministry of Absorption helps new immigrants to become absorbed into Israeli society, although we never stop being labelled as British, American, Russian, Ethiopian, French….

Some of the problems get harder with time, not easier. Foods you miss. Like Marmite, gooseberries and salt ’n’ vinegar crisps. OK, we can buy Marmite, but it’s so expensive it’s not worth it. There are lots of delicious fruits here, but not gooseberries. As for salt ’n’ vinegar crisps, any self-respecting native-born Israeli would turn up their nose at that. Except for my children. Brought them up proper, we ’ave.

Then there’s the weather. Instead of complaining about constant rain, here we complain about the heat. Still, complaint is complaint, so it’s not so hard to get used to this change.

Learning a new language is particularly hard for us Brits. We’ve never understood why not everyone talks our own rich but thoroughly illogical tongue. After all, it’s the only natural one. Every other language has to be learned.

The hardest thing for me has been getting them to realise that Brits come in all shapes, sizes and types. Because I fit their view of the British, I’ve found it hard to persuade them that some of us are loud or rude or noticeably outgoing. “You’re so British,” they tell me.

Funnily enough, or perhaps not, Mark, hero of my romance Neither Here Nor There, shares this last problem. His French roommate in particular teases him for his Britishness:

“Oh you British.” Claude had wrung his hands in mock despair. “You are so… so… réservé.”

Mark doesn’t think that’s a true representation at all, but he has no way of shaking it off, being a bit reserved himself.

As the story progresses, Mark will need to become strong. He has to contend with much more than his own immigration. He is falling in love with Esty, who is going through a much bigger life change.

Bio

Miriam Drori was born and brought up in London, and now lives in Jerusalem where her daughter has left her to hold the female fort against three males.

Following careers as a computer programmer and a technical writer, Miriam has been writing creatively for the past ten years and has had short stories published online and in anthologies. Neither Here Nor There, published on 17 June 2014, is her first published novel.

Miriam began writing in order to raise awareness of social anxiety. Since then the scope of her writing has widened, but she hasn’t lost sight of her original goal.

Links

Miriam’s website: http://miriamdrori.com/

Neither Here Nor There is available from:

Crooked Cat Books

Amazon

Smashwords

The Fabulous Felted Yurt

 

The Felted Yorkshire Yurt Festival (July 1st – 5th, in Holme Village Centre, near Holmfirth)

 

Of all the extraordinary and colourful events connected to the Yorkshire Tour de France, the Felted Yorkshire Yurt Festival is surely going to be the most unique and stunning, for its venue alone … and then there’s so much happening inside too.

 

Sue Clay, textile artist, has created seven huge felted panels depicting iconic Yorkshire landscapes, with bikes flashing through – a sort of ‘Yorkshire Bayeux Tapestry’ in felted wool, only with bikes not war! These will decorate the interior of the Yurt, along with felted bird and animal sculptures made by children across West Yorkshire. The Felted Yurt is Sue Clay’s dream and her vision.

 

The Festival programme has been devised by local writer, Mary Lister, on behalf of Holmfirth Writers’ Group, who are hosting the event. It runs daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. from July 1st to July 5th up to the eve of Le Tour coming through. It showcases a huge range of Yorkshire creative, comedic and musical talent, with performances for children and adults. It includes a daily school programme, family barbeque and evening entertainment with a bar. The outside of the Yurt will be highly decorated with strings of gaily coloured poetry / picture postcards, all created by children in the Holme Valley, with Holmfirth Writers’ Group. Only fifty-five people can get in the Yurt at one time, so it will be a rare and special experience to sit in Sue’s amazing cavern of colour, among her extraordinary felts, with wonderful music, comedy, poetry and a glass of wine.

 

The Yurt is provided by the wonderful ‘Yorkshire Yurt Company’, and the project is part-funded by Kirklees, through the Holmfirth Writers’ Group.

 

Tickets are available in advance from Holmfirth Tourist Office (01484 222444) or on the door of the Yurt, (July 1st to 5th) at the centre of Holme Village.

 

Contact Mary Lister on 01484 685577, or Sue Clay on 01484 686642, if Look North would be interested in covering this event.

 

Back to the Future Holidays

On Sunday, I lead (Amy tells me I was the producer but that sounds way too highfaluting) the monthly Institute of Ideas programme on Two Valleys Radio. It was scary, frustrating but also quite good fun. As it was on Spring Bank Holiday Sunday, “holidays” was the obvious theme. But while so many are feeling the squeeze of austerity, are holidays a luxury or a necessity?

Do holidays have to be expensive? Can we look at holidays in the past for ideas for the future?

What is the essence of a good holiday?

Why does the Candlelighters’ charity offer holidays for families with children undergoing cancer treatment?

For answers to these questions, an interview with someone who remembers holidaying before WWII and to hear some outstanding writing visit the Two Valleys Radio website and listen again ~

http://www.twovalleysradio.co.uk/listenagain/holmfirth-writers-group-5/

What are you working on?

What am I working on? Hmmm…

Well, I’ve started two or three novels that have dribbled to a stop.

There’s a frizzle of excitement building around a series of children’s books but they need illustrations so I’m stuck wondering how to go forward…

There are the articles I write for my church magazine, bits and bobs for Two Valleys Radio, poetry for the upcoming cycling extravaganza coming to Yorkshire/Holmfirth Arts Festival and Yurt experience.

My guilty secret? Mostly, I’m working in my garden. Oh, and having a rather remarkable year ~ the christening of my first grandchild in Finland, watching my niece in the Olympics, lunch at Highgrove ~ and it’s only March. Possible inspiration for future epistles?

How does my writing differ from others in it’s genre?

Herein lies one of many obstacles to my success as an author. I’ve never been able to squeeze myself into tiny boxes. Genre, what genre would that be?

So far I’ve written a memoir and a novel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do you write what you do?

The simple answer ~ I can’t help it. My fizzy brain requires me to get things down on paper/screen before I blow up. It can be a journal, story, novel, memoir, letter, lesson plan, poem, article, blog post…

How does the writing process work for you?

Good question. Sometimes it’s a writers’ group that kicks me out of my comfort zone, or a deadline, or a challenge, or inspiration might fire me into action. When I was writing my two books, I sat at my computer every workday morning and wrote for several hours.

What’s this all about?

My friend, Christina Longden, has just published her first novel, Mind Games and Ministers. She fancied joining the Monday Blog Tour and needed friends to take part. Writers of any description answer the questions above on a Monday and pass the baton on to two others. I received the ‘push’ from Laura Ripper, a proofreader and copy editor, to see her post visit http://lauraripperproofreading.com/2014/03/24/the-monday-blog-tour/. I like the idea because it’s more about information sharing than blatant self-promotion. 

Fellow Crooked Cat authors, Ailsa Abraham http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Failsaabraham.com%2F&h=aAQGFEvhG and Carol Hunter www.carolannehunter.co.uk, have agreed to follow me. I’ll post Carol’s links later today.

Risk and Sacrifice

I “met” author Elaine Violette through a Yahoo group. Today she discusses the risks that come with sacrifice in A Kiss of Promise, her new novel.

In A Kiss of Promise, a Blush historical romance, the heroine sacrifices all for love. What would you sacrifice for someone you love?  I believe that most of us would sacrifice our lives to save our loved ones. Are we willing to sacrifice our reputations, the very essence of who we have created ourselves to be in the eyes of our world? Would we let it all go and risk total ruin to save a loved one?

In Alaina’s world in A Kiss of Promise, a ruined reputation makes her an outcast in her society, scorned by her peers, and tossed aside as a prospective bride.  Yet, she chooses ruin to save her brother.  Fear for his life pushes her to take risks and accomplish what she never thought possible. Many of us have experienced tragedies in our lives that have pushed us to do things beyond what we thought we were capable of doing.

Perhaps, because I have found this true in my own life, I have created characters that must overcome their deepest fears to accomplish what means most to them. Alaina’s determination to save her brother forces her to forfeit her greatest personal desire: to be with the man she loves.

This second book in the Blackstone brother’s saga promises ultimate sacrifice and intrigue. Can love survive when it appears everything else is lost? In our own lives, we give and receive every day, but how much are we willing to sacrifice for love?

I hope readers will be captivated by Alaina’s journey in A Kiss of Promise.

Book back blurb:

Adventurer Martin Blackstone escapes the stuffy rituals of England to seek his destiny in America. He leaves Alaina Craymore behind, believing she is better off without him. Suffering under the scandalous circumstances surrounding her father’s death, only Alaina’s love for Martin and the memory of their one stolen kiss have kept Alaina steady. But she hasn’t heard from Martin in far too long and cannot wait forever in the hopes that he will return from America. Just as Alaina begins to recover, one of her father’s associates emerges from the shadows with a choice—she must pose as his fiancée in America or he’ll send her brother to prison on charges of forgery. Willing to endure ruin and an uncertain future, Alaina agrees—she can do no less for the brother who’s spent his entire life protecting her. Only the man who spurned her can save her from the black mailing scoundrel and a ruined reputation.

Martin hasn’t forgotten Alaina or the kiss they shared. When word of her sacrifice reaches him, he’ll move heaven and earth to find her and make her his, no matter the cost.

Will the strong-minded, independent Alaina chose ruin over the fear that a marriage proposal has been offered out of duty rather than love?

 A Kiss of Promise continues the story of the Blackstone brothers, introduced in Elaine’s debut Regency, Regal Reward. It will be released on April 3rd, 2014 by Ellora’s Cave Publishing under their Blush imprint and is presently available for pre-order on Amazon and most other sites.

A Kiss of Promise available at Ellora’s Cave  http://www.ellorascave.com/a-kiss-of-promise.html

For your Kindle http://amzn.com/B00HQH99V6

For your Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/A-Kiss-of-Promise-Elaine-Violette

On her website www.elaineviolette.com

Visitors can follow Elaine on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elaineviolette/author

and Twitter https://twitter.com/elaine_violette

Yahoo Groups for the Facebook Phobic?

A good friend of mine refuses to use Facebook preferring instead to communicate with others via her blog and yahoo groups. She feels they are less risky and she has more control over who can see her comments.

I tried a couple of groups but found them more difficult to use, limited in the numbers of people reached and irritating in the way they clog my email inbox. Google+ didn’t really ‘float my boat’ either.

I’ve heard that there are now new and improved places to network than FB and Twitter. Have you tried any? What did you think?

 

Olympic words?

I’ve been to Sochi. I hadn’t planned to go but two weeks before the opening ceremony my niece, Karly Piper Shorr, made it onto the US Olympic team. How unbelievably crazy is that? My brilliant husband went into overdrive dealing with the bureaucracy, securing visas, finding tickets and accommodation and next we were there! As an author, I don’t like to admit this but words fail me. I loved going to the Olympics in London but this was on another plane. I was in a country I never dreamed I’d visit to watch a member of my family compete on a world stage.

But we authors are driven to capture these experiences on paper, to find a way to share them. On Sunday, I’ll be interviewed and given the opportunity to read my first attempt to do this, a poem called Crystal Sunshine. Tune in to Two Valleys Radio to hear all about it, www.twovalleysradio.co.uk